Yassir Zabiri makes Liga history with three-goal burst for Racing Santander

Yassir Zabiri scored three times in 21 minutes on his first La Liga start for Racing Santander, helping the promoted side beat Elche 3-2 and move within reach of a landmark associated with Samuel Eto’o.

The 21-year-old Morocco striker, on loan from Rennes, needed only 15 minutes to open his account at El Sardinero. He struck again six minutes later before completing his hat-trick in the 36th minute.

His rapid-fire scoring gave Racing Santander a 3-0 lead at half-time and made Zabiri the first player from the Cantabrian club to score three goals in a league match at El Sardinero since Javi Guerrero in 2004.

Zabiri was substituted in the 69th minute. Elche then reduced the deficit to 3-2, but the visitors could not prevent Racing Santander from securing their first victory of the season.

The performance also placed Zabiri in distinguished company. He is the fourth Moroccan player of the 21st century to score a hat-trick in La Liga, following Youssef En-Nesyri, Youssef El-Arabi and Munir El-Hamdaoui.

He is also now the second African player in the 21st century to score a La Liga hat-trick at such an early stage of a match, behind Samuel Eto’o. The former Cameroon international scored three times during the opening 24 minutes of FC Barcelona’s meeting with Almeria in 2008.

Zabiri’s treble was particularly striking given that he had made only two substitute appearances in La Liga before being named in the starting line-up against Elche. He came on against Villarreal and Getafe, meaning he now has three goals after the opening three matchdays of the campaign.

The match represented a dramatic change in fortunes for the forward, who joined Rennes last winter. He made six appearances for the French club, all from the bench, and played a total of 42 minutes without scoring.

Rennes subsequently sent him to Santander for a season without an option to buy, allowing him the opportunity to play more regularly and build momentum.

Zabiri is the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup winner with Morocco and scored five goals during that tournament. His impact in Spain has quickly underlined the potential that made him such a highly regarded young attacker.

Mohamed Ouahbi knows Zabiri well and had included him in his preliminary selection before the 2026 World Cup. He will have followed the striker’s breakthrough performance closely as Zabiri begins to establish himself in Spanish football.